Device for adjusting the recoil length in fluid recoil-brakes for guns.



W. HEILEMANN, 0. BEHNKE & N. KOCH.

DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING THE RECOIL LENGTH IN FLUI D RECOIL BRAKES FOR GUNS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1914.

1,227,134. Patented May 22, 1917.

um J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER HEILEMANN AND OTTO BEHNKE, .OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, AND NORBERT KOCH, ESSEN-ON-THE RELLINGHAUSEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO FRIED. KRUPP AK'I'IENGESELLSCHAFT, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR ADJ USTING RECOIL LENGTH IN FLUID RECOIL-BRAKES FOR GUNS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it' known that we, 'WALTE HEILE- MANN andO'r'ro BEI-INKE, residing at Essenonthe.-Bu-hr, and NoitBnRT .KooH, residing at Essenwon-the-Rellinghausen,. Germany,

all citizens of the German Empire, have in-- vented a certain neww and useful Improves ment in Devices for Adjusting the Recoil Length in Fluid Recoil-Brakesfor Guns, of which the 'followingis a specification.

The present invention relates to 'a device for adjusting the recoil length in fluid recoil brakes for guns,'in which the limitation of the recoilfor all recoil lengths .takes place through complete closure of the fluid passage. The fluid passages.- inthese brakes are given such a shape that .the. cross section of the orifice toward theend'ofjthe recoil is comparatively large, in order to prevent, that the brake pressure exceeds that amount which is permissible for the greatly diminishing stability of the gun mount during the recoil of the gun in slight elevations. If the same section of orifice were used when the brake is. adjusted for short recoil as'when adjusted for long recoil, as has been customary until now,.the disadvantage will be evident, that the energy of the recoil shock hasnot been completely consumed upon the closing of the orifice, so that a shock will appear which exerts an excessive strain on the brake. The object of the present invention is to remove this disadvantage. In the accompanying drawing one embodiment of the invention is illustrated and Figurel shows. a longitudinal section of the brake; Withflthemiddle portion broken away; V Fig. 2 a cross section along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, as seen from the right; Fig. 8 a portion of the brake in section along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, a cross section along line 4- 4 of Fig. 1 'asseen from: the right;

F ig.' 5 a d'agrammatic representation of; the adjustmentofi the brake shown in Figs; ltohand Fig. 6, a view similar to Fig. 5 and representing another adjustment of the brake.

In the brake cylinder A is carried a piston comprising two screwed-together portions B B with the piston rod B In the inner wall of the brake cylinder A are Sp cifi ti n of Le ter s 'la Patented May 22, 1917.

Appl icationfi1ed March 5,1914. Serial No. 822,656.

cut'two' longitudinal grooves a situated diametrically .opposite each other and extendingt almost along the whole'length of the brake cylinder... The grooves a run along a helix having such a pitch that the amount which the "two ends of the groove are turned relative to each other corresponds to the width ofthe groove. Projections c engage without play in the. grooves (1 see Figs. 1, 4:, 5 and 6, which projections'a're'arranged on a ring C mounted revolubly but nondisplaceably onthe piston: B B*. The pro jections 0 have .the function to prevent the brake fluid flowing directly from one to the other; side of the piston through grooves of. Between the ring C and the piston portion B is an annular disk D revolubly, and nondisplaceably mounted. on the. piston portion B, which disk engages by means of two projections d situated diametrically opposite each other, see Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 with grooves a running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brake in, the brake cylinder A. The annular disk'D has a cylindricalextension d which grips underfa corresponding extension 79 of the piston portionB In the extension Not the piston portion B as well as in the extension (Z2 of the. annular disk D and the piston portion B are provided apertures 5 d 6 whichserve for connecting the grooves a of the b'rake cylinder with the space 6 of the piston, this space opening toward the piston side of the brake cylinder. The apertures possesses the shape indicated by the hatching in Fig. 5, while the apertures 03 have the shape inclosed by dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6. The apertures b are not used for the adjustment of the transit of the brake fluid from one side to the other of the piston and are, therefore, so dimensioned that they present for each adjustment of the brake to the brake fluid a passage of an area which is at least as large as the area provided by the apertures b andd 1 I When the parts vhave the positionindicated particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the apertures b of the part B of the piston are directly opposite to the grooves a of the brake cylinder A and to the apertures (Z of the annular disk D; that is, no part of the apertures b is covered by the wall of the brake cylinder and of the disk, see particularly Fig. 5. If the recoil of the brake wall of the brake cylinder.

cylinder A takes place, in the direction of the arrow at, Fig. 1, the brake fluid passes from the brake cylinder side of the piston through the grooves a and the apertures 6", CF, Z2 to the other side of the piston. As now the apertures 12 on account of the helical path of the grooves a? from the point 6 out, see Fig. 5, are gradually covered by the inner Wall of the brake cylinder A, the cross sectional area at the place where the fluid passes from the grooves a in the apertures 12 is gradually constricted. When ultimately the apertures Z1 are completely covered by the inner wall of the brake cylinder any trasmission of the brake fluid will then be impossible. The recoiling parts will then be arrested. Owing however, to the dimensions of the grooves a and the apertures 6", this only takes place after the brake cylinder has performed its entire normal stroke (the longest recoil).

With the above mentioned adjustment 0]": the brake in consequence of the shape of the apertures b as indicated in the drawing, the cross sectional area for the brake fiuidtoward the end of the recoil is comparatively great, so that the brake pressure does not exceed the amount which is permissible for the rapidly diminishing stability of the gun mount during recoil of the gun at slight elevations.

When the shortest recoil is desired, the piston rod B together with the piston B, B is turned, by hand or automatically, in the direction of the arrow y, see Figs. 2 and 5 until the apertures 6 in advance of the beginning of the recoil are covered by the inner wall of the brake cylinder A to one half of the width measured transversely to the longitudinal direction of the brake, see Fig. 6. The annular disk D does not take part in the described turning of the piston B, B The result of this is, that after the rotation of the piston has taken place, the portion of the apertures 1) indicated by the perpendicular hatching in Fig. 6, will be covered by the extension (Z of the annular disk D. At the beginning of the recoil. only the horizontally hatched portion of the apertures 72* 0 is therefore available for the passage of the brake fluid, which portion during the recoil is more and more constricted and ultimately completely closed when the apertures Z) are covered to their entire width by the inner As now transmission of fluid is impossible, the moving parts will be arrested.

As a consequence of the covering of the perpendicularly hatched portion of the apertures 12* by the extension (Z of the disk D is attained that the cross sectional area for the brake fluid is smaller during the shortest recoil, than if the disk D were not provided. The amount of this diminishing has been so selected that when the cross sectional area is shut 01?, the energy of recoil has been completely annihilated. I

Besides the normal recoil length and the one which will result from the position of the piston B, B relative to the grooves a and the revolving disk D as represented in Fig. 6, any other recoil lengths may be obtained as will be evident through corresponding adjustment of the piston rod, which new recoils must lie between the permissible shortest and the normal recoil. Also with these recoil lengths the disk D will cause such diminishing of the apertures b that the recoil energy will be completely consumed upon the entire closing of the cross sectional area.

In order to obtain a smooth counter-recoil for each recoil length the following arrangement has been made. In the space Z) of the piston B B and into a central boring b of the piston rod B extends a throttling rod E secured in the bottom a of the brake cylinder, see Fig. 1, the diameter of this rod being slightly smaller than the diameter of the boring b in the piston rod. Channels 12 see Figs. 1 and 3, are provided in the piston portion B and leading from the piston rod side of the brake cylinder into the space 6 of the piston B B These channels can be closed by means of a non-return valve F 7. A ring G screwed into the piston portion B with an inner diameter corresponding to the diameter of the throttling rod E, serves as an abutment for the spring f of this valve. In the wall of the throttling rod E are cut grooves 6 see Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which, during the counter-recoil, permit the transmission of the brake fluid from the boring b of the piston rod to the piston side of the brake cylinder. Theeross sectional area of the grooves e is made very small compared and the fluid is pressed by the throttling rod E out from the boring 79 through the grooves 6 into the fluid spaces of the brake cylinder.

From the chamber for the valve F f which chamber communicates with the piston rod boring 5 a by-passage 6 is provided in the part B of the piston (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4 to 6), which passage 6 leads to the inner wall of the disk D. This passage may connect with another passage d cut in the inner wall of the rotating disk D, see Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6, which second passage is connected by means 01": a radial passage (Z in the revolving disk with its outer wall.

The arrangement of the passages b (Z and CF is so selected that the connection between the passage b and d is made, when the brake has been adjusted by turning the piston B B to the shortest or nearly shortest recoil length, see Fig. 6, and the passage (Z opens at a short distance from that edge a of one of the grooves a into the outer wall of the revolving disk D which wall does not come into use for the braking of the recoil. In consequence of this arrangement, the passage 6Z5 stands during the greater part of the counter-recoil in connection with one of the grooves a so that the brake fluid during counter-recoil may, in addition to passing through the grooves 6 also pass over along 19 al (Z 0& from the boring b of the piston rod into the brake cylinder. The recuperator has therefore to overcome less brake resistance during higher elevations, that means when the greatest portion of the weight of the recoiling parts has to be raised, than with lower elevations. The described counter-recoil brake therefore affords the guarantee that the parts may also be returned to normal firing position even with the highest possible elevation. At the same time the device is so arranged that the passage (Z before the end of the counter-recoil is gradually covered by the edge a of the corresponding groove a thereby permitting the recoiling parts to arrive in firing position without shock.

When the described arrangement for braking the counter-recoil is combined with the previously described arrangement for adjusting the recoil length as illustrated in the drawing, the action of the arrangement for adjusting the recoil length will be somewhat influenced thereby. Any considerable change in the action will, however, not occur.

We claim:

1. A device for adjusting the recoil length in fluid recoil brakes, comprising a stationary member and a recoiling member, one of said members being provided with a by-pass for the brake fluid, means for gradually closing said by-pass during recoil, said bypass and said means being adjustable by relative displacement for different lengths of recoil, and secondary means on said member, provided with said by-pass, constructed to partially cover that portion of said bypass which is in operation toward the end of the longest recoil when the brake has been adjusted for short recoil, said secondary means maintaining its position relative to the member provided with said by-pass, during recoil, the position of said secondary means being adjusted by relative displacement between said bypass and said means for gradually closing said by-pass by which displacement the brake is adjusted, at the same time, for different lengths of recoil.

2. A device for adjusting the recoil length in fluid recoil brakes, having a brake cylinder and a piston, means for transferring the fluid from one side of the piston to the other,

comprising curved grooves in said cylinder and radial apertures in said piston, and a slide mounted on said piston and partially covering that portion of said apertures which is in operation toward the end of the longest recoil when the brake has been adjusted for short recoil by relative turning of said cylinder and said piston, said slide maintaining its position relative to the piston during recoil.

3. A device for adjusting the recoil length in fluid recoil brakes, having a brake cylinder, a piston and a piston rod, means for transferring the fluid from one side of the piston to the other, comprising curved grooves in said cylinder and apertures in said piston, and a valve mounted on the piston and partially covering during short recoil that portion of said apertures which is in operation toward the end of the longest recoil, said valve maintaining its position relative to the piston during recoil, the position of said valve being adjusted by relatiy e circumiferential displacement between the piston and the cylinder by which displacement said parts are adjusted, at the same time, for diflerent lengths of recoil; a hollow chamber provided in said piston rod, passages permitting the entrance of fluid into said hollow chamber on recoil, a throttling rod entering said chamber for checking the flow of fluid during counter-recoil; a passage in said valve, a corresponding passage in the piston, said passages registering with each other and said chamber, when the device has been adjusted for short recoil, for emitting fluid from said chamber during counterrecoil, and means adapted to close said valve passage before the end of the counter-recoil.

The foregoing specification signed at Barmen, Germany, this 12th day of February,

In presence of HELEN NUFER, ALBERT NUFER.

Copies oflthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. 0. 

